Toyota blames drivers

• Source: Global Times
• [09:08 July 15 2010]
• Comments

Toyota said Wednesday that its investigation into nearly 2,000 cases of unintended acceleration found no problems with its electronic throttle system, and that driver error was to blame in some cases.

Toyota made the statement after a Wall Street Journal report that early results of the US government's analysis of dozens of data recorders from Toyota vehicles suggested that some drivers were at fault in cases of sudden acceleration.

Citing people familiar with the results of the US Department of Transportation's tests, the paper said some drivers who said their Toyotas or Lexuses surged out of control might have pushed the accelerator when they meant to brake.

Toyota said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had not reported details of its findings to Toyota. It said Toyota had also concluded that "pedal misapplication" was shown to be the cause in some cases of unwanted speeding.

Toyota has provided the NHTSA with 10 event data recorders and given four recorders to Canadian authorities, as well as handed over all of its findings from the 2,000 on-site inspections, Toyota spokesman Mike Michels said.

US regulators are investigating whether there are problems with Toyota's electronic throttles, and whether any glitches have played a role in unintended acceleration complaints. As many as 89 crash deaths have been reported since 2000 as possibly being linked to unintended acceleration in Toyota cars.

The NHTSA has enlisted space agency experts to look at the software-driven throttles. The safety agency will also tap the expertise of an independent scientific panel, which is studying the matter separately.

Conclusions are not expected for months.

In years of reviewing unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles, the NHTSA has never found a link to electronic throttles. Toyota maintains that its throttles are sound and blames unintended acceleration on floormats that can jam the accelerator pedal and on pedals that would not spring back as designed.

However, electronics are at the heart of the cases against Toyota. Dozens of people have sued the company blaming faulty electronics for crashes or causing a drop in the resale value of their Toyota vehicles.

Those equipment and mechanical problems were behind the worldwide recall of more than 8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles in October and January for unintended accel-eration.

Agencies